A Dragon for William

4 stars, Metaphorosis reviews

Summary
Worfel and Semyn, sent to Marrowdell to save them from serious threats, are heading home, but political complications mean that home isn't exactly what it used to be. And, away from Marrowdell's magic, only Worfel remembers its dragons.

Review
This is an immediate sequel to A Play of Shadow – though following supporting characters – and I recommend they be read one soon after the other. It also steps away – a little – from the happy, lovey-dovey tone of the main series.

Worfel and Semyn were central but supporting actors in Play of Shadow, coming to and eventually leaving Marrowdell. This story picks up immediately after they leave, and lets us know what happens to them. Perhaps because it's not so focused on core characters Jenn and Bannan, it's a little less sickly sweet than that relationship. Much as I like Jenn and the happy tone of her stories, it's a welcome change, since she and Bannan get pretty sappy – on the verge of incredible. In any case, this story, though about children and childish concerns, also deals with weighty concerns and a little more darkness, to my mind.

Czerneda brings in another interesting species, and some of the old ones come up in interesting ways, which is fun. Emon and Lila, the boys' parents, naturally play important roles, though as before Lilia is quite distant – and, I found, unlikable.

The plot sets off well, but at about the two third mark or a little after, it feels like Czerneda loses her grip on it. A key confrontation that has been set up suddenly, and for no real reason, fizzles out almost completely and then the story ends. Czerneda notes in the acknowledgements that the story was originally written as a gift, and maybe those roots are why she (and her editor) wasn't so concerned with narrative structure. The result is a nice field trip into the Night's Edge world that's a little “This way to the Egress” – I expected more from it.